The Ghazal

Part Three.

...Which is why writing about your favourite ghazal is so much more convenient. You can almost point an arrow, as if to a diagram, and say, "Hey! Is'nt this clever?"...

Still, reading a Ghazal is not the same thing as listening to it. The sense of rhythm and balance that goes into a good sher may not always be apparent when you read it. One needs some kind of a musical toe-hold on every Ghazal. Listen to a Ghazal first and you'll like it much more when you read it.

The Ghazal is in general a conversation, of a kind. Between the poet and himself, between the poet and God, between the poet and society in general, between the poet and his lover, between the poet and the person he loves, between the poet and the (imaginary) person he would like to love...In each case the poet contributes to the character and personality of his addressee too. So the conversation is between the poet and the God and the poet , between the poet and his lover and the poet and so on. The intelligence and sophistication of the poet and the object of his Ghazal make for an interesting study. No not study, for this is not a studious essay. They make for interesting casual observations. For example the poet could be talking about someone very sweet and pretty and adolescent or about someone very intelligent and mature. He might resort to charm through words or to resigned admonitions. The poets (resilient) ego is prominent in most Ghazals.